Clothes presses



E. J. HOFFMAN CLOTHES PRESSES Aug. 24, 1965 Filed April 26, 1965 EDWARD J. HOFFMAN INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,201,879 CLOTHES PRESSES Edward J. Hoffman, 1611 S. Bronson Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Apr. 26, 1963, Ser. No 275,931 1 Claim. ((11. 38-40) This invention relates to improvements in clothes presses of those kinds presently used by garment manufacturers; in commercial cleaning and pressing establishments and in laundries and dry cleaning businesses. More particularly, it relates to presses that are powered and heated by steam; such presses being characterized by a pressing head that is supported for opening and closing actuation from and against a buck, by means of powered leverage that is actuated by a steam cylinder under valve controls.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a powered operating connection for actuation of the pressing head that involves the selective use of high or low pressure for the various pressing requirements of the head. Furthermore, to provide a system that supplies steam for the press at high pressure and effects its reduction at the press by use of a pressure regulating valve, for ordinary pressing operations, and provides a direct high pressure connection in which a manual valve is interposed for direct application 'of the high pressure as desired, under manual control of the operator, for what may be designated as creasing operations.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in equipping the head of the usual pressing machine for selective use of high or low pressure pressing under convenient and easy control of the operator.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is an elevation of a typical clothes press, as equipped with steam supply and control mechanism, embodied by the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic showing of the present steam supply and control mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail of a typical four way steam valve used in this system.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In FIG. 1, a typical form of clothes pressing machine has been designated in its entirety, by reference character P. This press is shown to comprise a main base frame structure on which, at its forward side, a pedestal 11 is fixed for the support thereby, at one level, of a horizontal table 12, and which at a higher level supports the usual buck 13 in a horizontal position.

Coacting with the buck 13, for the garment pressing operation, is the pressing head 15; this being supported by a lever arm 16 that has pivoted mountings, as at 17, on the upper end of a standard 18 that extends upwardly from the base 10, for the swinging movement of the head from and against the buck, as indicated in FIG. 1. It is to be noted also in FIG. 1 that the end of the lever arm 16, opposite that which mounts the head 15 extends rearwardly of the standard 18 and has a pivotal connection as at 20, with the end of a piston rod 21 that is extended upwardly from a steam power cylinder 22 whereby the movements of the head between open and closed positions from and against the buck, are controlled.

It has also been shown in FIG. 1, that the cylinder 22 is pivotally mounted at its lower end, as at 23, by a bracket 24 fixed to the rear face of the base frame structure 10.

The characterizing feature of the present invention resides in the means for and method of pressing control of the head 15 and in this connection is will here be mentioned that a minority of present day pressing machines of this general character are operated by pressure cylinders, either steam, air or hydraulic medium. The present use of steam for power operation is more economical than other pressure medium. However, this invention anticipates the similar use of other fluid pressure media, but in this specification, all will be designated generally by the term steam.

It has been shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 that a steam line 30 extends from a source of supply, not shown, of, for example, from 60 to 125 p.s.i., to a pressure reduction valve 31. Leading from valve 31 is a pressure line 32 that is connected directly with the medial portion of a four-way valve 34. Valve 34 is shown here to be horizontally disposed, and leading from opposite end portions thereof in its top side, are pressure lines 35 and 36 which connect respectively with opposite end portions of the power cylinder 22 which has been shown, in FIG. 1, as being pivotally mounted at its lower end, at 23, on the base It), and which has its piston rod 21 pivotally attached at its outer end to the rear end of the press head actuating lever 16, at 20.

The application of pressure medium to the cyilnder 22 is under control of the sliding valve member 34 of the four-way valve 34 as shown in FIG. 3 and this may be manually controlled by a foot pedal 38 or the like and linkage connections 39, as seen in FIG. 1. Ordinarily, the valve 34 is so set as to admit the pressure medium from line 32 to the upper end of the cylinder 22 through flexible connection 35 to retain the head 15 in its raised position, as seen in dash lines in FIG. 1. However, depression of the pedal 38 will actuate the valve member 34 to admit pressure medium from valve 34 through connection 36 to the lower end of cylinder 22 and effect closing actuation of the head 15 against the buck 13, as shown in FIG. 1.

In this system, high pressure steam, as admitted by pipe line 39 to valve 31,, is reduced by valve 31 to a low pressure of about 21 p.s.i. in its flow to valve 34 for head pressure for ordinary pressing operations. However, for pressing under high pressure garment creasing conditions, it is desirable to employ full boiler pressure of p.s.i. or more. Therefore, I extend a shunt pipe line 50 from pipe line 30 across the valve 31, thus to furnish high pressure steam from pipe 30 directly to the valve 34 under control of a manual valve 52 that is interposed in the line 50 at a position convenient to reach of the press operator for operation.

The four-way valve 34 is of that kind shown in FIG. 3, which shows the pipe line 32 leading from valve 31 to a central inlet 40, and at its bottom side. Toward opposite ends at top side, the valve has outlets 41 and 42 from which the pipe line connections 35 and 46 lead to power cylinder 22 for its actuation.

The valve 34 also has exhaust ports 44 and 45 in its bottom side, to exhaust pressure from the upper and lower end of the cylinder 22 under control of the movable valve member 34 of valve 34 as actuated by the foot pedal 38 and linkage 39.

With the system so arranged and connected to the press P, it will be understood that the high pressure steam as brought to valve 31 may be reduced to the desired low pressure for ordinary pressing operations, and then when high pressure steam is required, as for creasing or similar operations, the full line pressure may be employed at the will of the press operator, by opening the valve 52. Both high pressure medium as supplied through shunt line 50 or low pressure medium as supplied through pressure reducing valve 31 may be used for head opening or closing operations and the application may be controlled line across said pressure reducing valve and a shut-off by the action of foot pedal 38. Forthigh pressing or 1 creasing operations, the pressure is applied through valve 52. V 1 a WhatIclaimtobenewisr 7 In a press of the character described, havin g a pressing buck and a pressing head mounted for swinging move:

ment between open and pressing positions; a double acting power cylinder operatively connected with said. pressin v head for its actuation between said open and" pressing position's, a control valve for selective application of fluid pressure medium to the opposite ends of said power cylinder, a pipe line supplying pressuremediurn for the press, at a predetermined high pressure,1a pressure reducing valve interposed inthe saidlpipe line and connected with said control valve for its'application of pressure medium to said control valve at the reduced V erable means-for control of said shiftable valve member.

1 References Cited by the'Exaininer V UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,947,191 2/34 Davis et a1. 2s 41 2,788,769 4/57 Ketchum 38-41 2,971,281 2/61 Neckel' ,38-41 pressure, a shunt line connected in the mediumsupply JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. DAVID WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner, 

